The Military History of Lieksa
Winter War
Battles of the Winter War were fought in Lieksa in two directions: in the south towards the Inari road and further in the north towards the Kivivaara road. The North Finland Group (NFG) and its operative plan focused in the direction of Lieksa – Kuhmo, where the North Karelia Group (NKG) was formed under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Erkki Raappana. Lieksa was the first front direction in the Winter War where the enemy was pushed back across the border during December of 1939 already.
War events
The Finns were more powerful in Lieksa than in the other front directions. The North Karelia Group, consisting of three battalions, faced the Red Army’s 529th Infantry Regiment, reinforced by a tank company and artillery battalion.
One enemy battalion (3rd /529th Inf Regt) attacked from the direction of the Inari road. The Finns delayed the advance of the enemy and later stopped them at the so-called Viisikkojärvi line. The Finns launched a counterattack on 24 December 1939, at which point the Soviet troops withdrew behind the border. The Finns grouped for defence at the border and began guerrilla strikes on the flank and the rear of the Soviets.
The main parts of the enemy 529th Infantry Regiment attacked from the direction of Kivivaara road. The Finns launched a counterattack on 1 December with Detached Battalion 12 and 13 (Det Bn 12 and 13), but it failed. A counterattack was happening in Kuhmo at the same time.
The Finns halted the advance of the enemy at the Änäkäinen defence positions. The Finnish troops prepared the next defence positions further back to the Puuruu line, where the Finns retreated on 8 December.
From the direction of Kuhmo, a Soviet battalion advanced towards the flank of the Lieksa troops. It was stopped in Heinäjoki river, encircled and destroyed on 19 to 20 December. The Finns gained a significant war booty from this battle.
The Finns launched a counterattack in the direction of Kivivaara road on 24 December. The primary objective was to cut off the enemy’s road connection in the rear. After the battles, the Finns returned to their concentration area and unexpectedly found the enemy positions to be empty on 26 December. The Soviet troops retreated towards the border of the nation and the Finns reached Kivivaara on 27 December. The defence positions remained there until peace.
Salpa line
Lieksa was the responsibility of the IV Army Corps during the so-called Interim peace. Outposts of the Salpa line were built in Lieksa area along all of the roads that the Soviet troops had advanced on during the Winter War. In Lieksa, the actual Salpa line ran through Pielinen lake from the village of Ahveninen to the narrow waterways of Nurmes.
Fortifications were built in the direction of Kivivaara road at the outposts of Änäkäinen and Puuruu. The conscripts of the first battalion of the 10th Brigade were involved in the work. Major Arnold Majewski was the commander of the battalion.
The defence positions of Änäkäinen had been fortified already during the additional reserve exercises and the Winter War. The outpost of the Salpa line was built mostly during the Interim peace on top of the same fortifications. It was an exceptionally strong outpost, with an unusually large number of fortifications made into the rock.
Continuation War
At the beginning of the Continuation War, the 14th Division (14th Div) led by Colonel Erkki Raappana attacked from the directions of Lieksa and Kuhmo across the eastern border towards Repola and Rukajärvi. The actual battles were fought on the Soviet Union ground, Repola was captured on 8 July and Rukajärvi on 12 September 1941. Mannerheim halted the advance of the Finns to Ontajoki river on 16 September, where the Finns remained until the end of the war.
Partisan strikes
During the Continuation War, three partisan strikes were carried out in the Lieksa area, where 19 civilians died. The last strike occurred in the Riihivara house in Kontiovaara, Lieksa on 5 September, the day after the armistice began.